Supporting Networked Computers 107

Supporting Networked Computers 107

Supporting Networked Computers

The help desk’s primary task in supporting networked computers is enabling them to connect to their network and resources on the network. In a larger context, supporting networked computers can mean actually managing a network, but those skills are outside the scope of work performed by a help desk technician. In this chapter, you learn the network support tasks that can be performed on a Windows XP Professional client.

Introduction to Networking

Computers on a network can share information and other resources. Resources are tools or data that users need, including hardware, such as printers and scanners, applications, data files, and more. You network computers so that users can gain access to the resources on different computers from a single location. Most times, all the computers in a school computer lab, along with all the printers, scanners, and other similar resources, are networked together. The Internet is a very large network of computers, designed to enable users to access resources worldwide.

Workgroups

There are two types of Microsoft Windows networks: workgroups and domains. A workgroup is a grouping of computers that share resources, such as files and printers, by being connected via a network. You might setup a workgroup for all the computers in a computer lab so that they can communicate, and use the same printer and scanner. A workgroup is referred to as a peer-to-peer network because all the computers in the group share resources as equals, or as “peers.” There is no need for a dedicated server to manage network resources or communication. For this reason, small organizations often employ workgroups, thus saving themselves the additional expense of a server and server software. However, servers can be added to networks. Servers in a network are called standalone servers. Servers in workgroups often hold files or applications that users in the network need.

Another advantage of workgroups is that you need only a single computer connected to the Internet in order for all the computers in the group to have Internet access. This computer is the only one visible from the Internet as well.

Setting Up a Workgroup with One Computer Connected to the Internet

To set up a workgroup, you must complete the Network Setup Wizard on each of the computers you want to join to the workgroup. Completing this wizard enables the computers to communicate. It also enables the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) protection tool on the computer that connects to the Internet. ICF is software that provides a boundary between the network and the outside world.

To set up a workgroup, do the following:

1. Ensure that the computer that you want to connect to the Internet can access the Internet.

2. Determine a name for your workgroup. The workgroup name should be descriptive; for example, Computer Lab. The name cannot contain any of the following characters: ; : " < > * + = \ | ? ,.

3. Ensure that all computers that you want to join to the workgroup are physically connected to the network via network cables or phone lines.

4. Run the Network Setup Wizard on each computer that you want to connect to the workgroup. To start the wizard click Start, click Control Panel click Network and Internet Connections, double-click Network Connections, and then under Network Tasks, click Setup a home or small office network. Type the name of the workgroup when prompted.

Making Resources on a Computer Shared or Private in a Workgroup

In a workgroup, users can designate which resources are shared and which are private. This means that a user can work on a computer that is part of a workgroup, but still keep their work private. For example, a user might want to share all the documents in a folder named Sales Reports, but keep all the documents in her My Documents folder private. This is easy to do in a workgroup.

To share resources in a workgroup, do the following:

1. Right-click Start, and then click Explore.

2. Navigate to the folder that you want to share, right-click the folder, and then click Sharing And Security.

3. On the Sharing tab, click Share This Folder on the network, and type a name in the Share Name box.

Figure 7-1

Specifying a folder to share

To mark resources as private in a workgroup, do the following:

1. Open My Computer.

2. Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (for example, C:)

3. Double click Documents And Settings.

4. Double-click your user folder.

5. Right-click any folder inside your user profile, and then click Properties.

6. On the Sharing tab, select the Make This Folder Private
check box.

Exercise 7-1: Designate Resources on a Workgroup Computer as Shared or Private

In this exercise, you share a folder on a computer in a workgroup, and then make another folder private.

1. Create a folder on your computer named Help Desk Resources.

2. On the computer on which you usually work, go to the folder named Help Desk Resources, and share it. Ensure that each member of your help desk has Full Control access to the folder.

3. On the computer on which you usually work, make your My Documents folder private.

Configuring Security in a Workgroup

Security settings should be configured on all computers in a workgroup. You can do so by setting them on each computer individually, or by working remotely. To configure the security settings on a computer, you must be a member of the local Administrators group. Because security is critical to any network, it is usually configured by the network administrator. Never configure security settings without the supervision of a qualified professional.

Limitations of Workgroups

Workgroups are most effective for networks with 10 or fewer computers. In a workgroup, all user accounts are local, meaning each user must have a local user account on each computer to which he or she needs to gain access. When a change is made to a user account in a workgroup, the change must be made on each individual computer in the workgroup so that the user continues to have access to all of the needed resources. If your school has a computer lab to which all members of the school have access, and the computers require users to log on with a username and password (always a good idea), then each computer must have a user account established for every user who might use it. If every user in the school is permitted to use every computer, that means you will have a lot of user accounts to maintain!

Domains

Domains are a type of network in which the administration of user and group accounts, computer accounts, and account policies can be centralized. In a domain, every computer has a computer account, and every user has a user account. Each account is subject to the Group Policy, Account Policy, and Computer Policy configured for the domain. The domain can only be accessed from a computer that is joined to the domain through an established computer account. A user cannot access a domain from a computer that is not part of the domain, even if the user has a valid user account.

Because user accounts, computer accounts, and security policies are administered at the domain level, a user might find that he or she cannot change a particular setting on a local computer. For example, some schools restrict the ability to change the desktop, or to save files to any location except removable media, such as a floppy disk or USB drive. These settings are called domain policies. Help desk technicians do not administer domain policies, but if your school computers are on a domain, you should be aware of the domain policies so that you do not attempt to change something controlled by those policies.

Exercise 7-2: Determine Domain Policies

If your school is on a domain, contact your domain administrator and determine the policies enforced for the actions listed below.

1. Changing the screen saver. Who can change a screen saver? Are all options available?

______

______

2. Saving files. To which drives and folders may users save documents?

______

______

3. Account lockout policy. How many attempts to supply a correct password can a user make before the account is locked out?

______

______

4. Password policy. What are the complexity requirements for passwords? How many passwords are remembered in the password history?

______

______

5. Adding computer accounts to the domain. Who can add computer accounts to the domain, and how many can they add?

______

______

Introduction to TCP/IP

Networks, or groups of computers that can communicate with each other, are able to work because they share a protocol. A protocol is a set of rules for exchanging information between computers. Think of a protocol as a language—if people do not speak the same language, they cannot communicate. The same is true for computers. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the protocol that supports the Internet, and is the most used protocol for private networks. In Windows XP, TCP/IP is automatically installed.

What is an IP Address?

On a TCP/IP network, you must provide IP addresses to clients. An IP address is like a mailing address. Without it, a client computer cannot send or receive information, and therefore cannot send e-mail, reach the Internet, or exchange information with other computers. IP addresses are in quartets, or four parts, each of which has up to three numbers; for example, 172.28.141.32. Some of the quartets identify the network that the computer is on, and some of them identify the specific computer on the network. Computers are not the only resources that need IP addresses. On a network, all hardware has an IP address, including networked printers. A networked printer is connected directly to a network, rather than connected to an individual computer, and then shared. Within a single computer, multiple adapters might exist. Adapters can represent physical interfaces, like a NIC, or logical interfaces, such as a dial-up connection. Each adapter can have its own IP address.

What is a Subnet Mask?

The subnet mask determines which parts of the IP address identify the network, and which identify the computer. Subnet masks are also in quartets, and are usually in the form 255.x.x.x, where each x can also be 255; for example, 255.255.255.0. Each school will have a subnet mask. Understanding IP addressing and subnet masking is a straightforward but time-consuming process. For the most part, you will only need to know what the subnet mask is for your school.

What is DHCP?

In most schools, and for most workstations, the client computers should be configured to use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). This enables client computers to obtain IP addresses dynamically, meaning that the client is served an IP address when the user wants to use the network. Using DHCP allows a large network to share IP addresses. If you do not use DHCP, then you must manually enter a static IP address on each client computer. This is time-consuming, and should only be performed by or under the supervision of your network administrator. DHCP also automatically configures the appropriate subnet mask for the client computer.

What is DNS?

Domain Name System (DNS) is a database that associates IP addresses to computer names and other information. A DNS enables you to contact a computer by using a friendly computer name (such as Barbara’s Computer) instead of having to know the IP address of the computer. The DNS service resides on a DNS server in a domain. A DNS is not present in workgroups.

Using the Repair Command

The first step in troubleshooting a networking problem is making sure that the network connection is functioning and connected. Windows XP Professional offers an easy way to check and repair a connection. To check the status of a network connection, and repair it if necessary, do the following:

1. Locate the icon for the network connection in the system tray. The system tray normally appears on the far right side of the Windows taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen). The icon for the network connection usually looks like a small computer screen. Hover over the network icon to see the network connection it represents.

2. Right-click the icon for the desired network connection, and then click Status.

3. If the status says connected, then the computer is connected to the specified network. If it says disconnected, it needs to be repaired. Either way, close the Status box.

4. If the connection needs to be repaired, then right-click the icon for the connection and click Repair. Windows XP Professional attempts to ensure that the connection is functional. If it is not functional, it attempts to reconnect to the network.

Using ipconfig

The ipconfig command is a command-line utility. A command-line utility is one that you run while in the command-line, non-GUI mode. This is sometimes called “DOS mode” because when computers only had a DOS operating system, this was how all commands were run.

To run the basic ipconfig command, do the following:

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd (for command line mode) and then click OK.

2. In the command window, type ipconfig, and then press Enter. The screen looks like that shown in Figure 7-2.

Figure 7-2

Running ipconfig

In the window, you see information for each connection present on the computer; for example, a LAN and a wireless connection are shown in Figure 7-2. This information includes the IP address, the subnet mask, and the default gateway.

There are many parameters available for use with the ipconfig command. A parameter is something you append to a command to make it more specific. The command ipconfig returns the current information for the adapters on the computer. You can also perform the following tasks by using ipconfig with parameters: